Rynfrei
The Koisune Enters the Fog
There are whispers of a pond that appears in the old, lonely forest once every lunar cycle.Its waters never ripple in the wind. Countless koi glide beneath its glassy surface, each one carrying the memories of those who wandered too close. Travelers whisper of a fox spirit waiting at the shore. They say the fox is beautiful, gentle, and impossibly kind.It is said that they grant wishes.I believed them.Drawn by the quiet call of the pond through the tranquil, haunting woods, I found myself standing before the spirit beneath a sky without stars, illuminated only by a sliver of moonlight. The koi circled my reflection as though they already knew my name. The fox spirit smiled and asked only one question."What is it you desire most?"I wished for purpose. For the strength to protect others. To become something greater than myself. To leave behind my old life.The fox promised all of it.But in exchange, if I wished to be reborn into something greater, I would have to participate in the Trials.Like a fool, I never questioned the spirit. My desire was too great to heed the warning hidden within its words.A blinding flash of light consumed me.Then I felt it.I embraced the painful transformation with grace. Large ears sprouted from the top of my head, followed by a magnificent tail that emerged from my lower back. It was both fox and koi, elegant yet otherworldly. I had never felt so beautiful. So powerful. So complete.The Koisune was born.But every gift demanded a price.The pond vanished into an endless sea of Fog... and my body with it.I had been tricked.This was no kind, benevolent spirit.This was something far more sinister.It wasn't a fox spirit.It was The Entity.Its hideous laughter echoed through the Fog as I disappeared into the darkness.I was doomed to endure countless Trials. Some awaken me as a survivor, desperately fighting beside strangers to escape the fog. Others awaken me as a killer, driven by instincts I cannot silence. I never know which fate awaits until the Trial begins.No matter which role I am forced into...I remember every scream.Every escape.Every sacrifice.Between Trials, I return to the silent pond where the koi still circle beneath the water. The fox always waits on the opposite shore, wearing the very same smile it wore the day we met.It never speaks.It doesn't have to.The bargain is already sealed.Somewhere beneath the water, reflected among the koi-filled depths, I can still see the person I used to be...And the person I have become.Cursed to serve the Entity for eternity.The Entity cannot decide whether my hope or my brutality nourishes it more. Every Trial is another experiment.Every Trial adds another koi to the endless pond...Fragments of every life.Every sacrifice.Every Trial I have endured.Perhaps...One day...You will join my pond.